


Poke that bear till the claws come out

by SpaceBat (kuraikon)



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: 5 + 1 Fic, 5 Times, And then not soft at all, Feral Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Immortal Husbands, Immortal family, M/M, Mentions of kidnapping, Protective Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Soft Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Team as Family, nicky being a soft boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27659417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuraikon/pseuds/SpaceBat
Summary: Nicky spun on his heel while the man slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. A soft, adoring smile graced Nicky's face and he was once again the loving and caring man Nile knew him to be.Five times Nile witnessed Nicky being the softest immortal warrior ever, and one time she saw him feral.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 19
Kudos: 447





	Poke that bear till the claws come out

**Author's Note:**

> I love me a soft-turned-feral

-

1

-

Nile yawned wide and rubbed a fist into her eye as the line moved forward another step and next to her, Nicky smiled sleepily at her impatient sigh. The queue adjacent to theirs was moving at the same speed - that is, painfully slow when waiting for the first needed coffee of the day - so Nile was happy they hadn’t chosen the wrong side to join. The coffee shop outside the train station was unsurprisingly busy first thing in the morning, commuters willing to risk missing their train if it meant getting their caffeine hit, and Nile gave the suited men tapping their feet a distasteful look. Nicky was glancing at a customer too, Nile realised, a woman that was roughly in the same position in line as them but in the opposite line to her counter, talking gently on her phone. Nile was able hear vague parts of the conversation, the woman reminding the other person not to forget their lunch. 

They stepped forwards again and Nicky smiled brightly at the barista, apologising in advance for the complicated drinks.

A black but sugared coffee for Nile, an espresso for Joe, hazelnut latte for Nicky - as large as possible for when Joe steals half of it - whatever weird flavoured concoction was in season with an extra shot for Booker and a vanilla mocha with four sugars for Andy. 

Nile was in disbelief when she first saw Andy order what she had been assured was her usual drink and not some long-lasting prank.

The barista repeated the order back but Nicky was distracted by the woman from before stepping up and ordering her drink, phone tucked away. 

“I’ll add her cappuccino to my order please,” Nicky said, making both baristas, Nile and the woman snap their heads round to blink dumbly at him. “And one of those apple pastries to go for the lady too, if you would.”

Nicky’s barista affirmed and typed in the extras while the other one hesitated with his fingers over the till. The woman stumbled over her words.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“I don’t believe so.” Nicky responded with a smile.

“But- I don’t- why?”

Tapping his card to the machine, Nicky motioned at her as he waited for the beep. “You have a hard job, take it as thanks for the work you do.”

Both Nile and the woman looked down at the pin-stripped tunic the woman wore under her unzipped jacket. A nurses uniform, Nile realised.

The second barista called the person behind the woman forward, leaving her little choice but to step closer to Nile and Nicky. 

“That- that’s very kind. But I really can’t-“

“You can.” Nicky said firmly. A tray was put down at their counter and Nicky passed it to Nile, who was struggling to contain her grin as she thought about how much Joe was going to swoon when she told him. “You’re on your way to start your shift now, si?” The woman nodded and Nicky took the single cup and paper bag that the barista was holding out for him and passed it to the woman. Hesitantly, she took them. “Have a good day.”

Finally the woman smiled, eyes shinning with sudden tears. She clutched the bag to her chest and swallowed hard. “Thank you.” Nicky waved her thanks away and turned to Nile. 

“Shall we go find our caffeine-needing vultures?”

Nile followed him out and glanced back at the woman who was looking down at her coffee with a watery smile.

-

2

-

When the head of security for Andorra had contacted them, Andy had wrinkled her nose at the files they had been sent.

“They’re holding something back,” she had said, sliding the included maps over to Joe for him to check. “I don’t get why, since they came to us for help with this kidnapping-hostage situation but something is definitely off; they’ve barely mentioned the actual person being held captive.”

And she was right of course.

Andy kicked the door in and Nile darted past Nicky, straight into the room with her gun held firm before the door had even slammed against the wall as it swung inwards, casting her eyes around the room swiftly. Andy stormed in next to her and did the same, starting from the left where Nile had started from the right. Their eyes fell on the captive royal at the exact same time and they both faltered.

“Shit!” Nile muttered as she half turned, shielding her still oozing bullet wounds from the child’s sight. The girl - eight? Younger? - stared at them with wide eyes before she caught sight of the gun Andy still had trained on her and she no doubt took in their weapons, dark clothes and masked faces. Then her face scrunched up in fear and upset and her eyes welled up with tears.

Nile had never seen Andy look panicked before, but faced with a crying child, Nile was sure she was witnessing what came close. 

“Nicky!” Andy hissed. “Help!”

Immediately Nicky was leaning around the doorway with a gun ready in one hand and his other hovering over his sword hilt. He took in the room and Nile heard a collection of swears in various languages. His gun was pressed into Nile’s hand as he swooped past her, ripping his mask off and skidding to his knees in front of the young girl, who hiccuped in surprise at seeing a human face under the mask. 

“Hello cherie, little ‘amira! Novia...? Flor...?” The girl started in recognition of the last word and Nicky smiled brightly at her and began to speak gently in a language Nile didn’t know. Whatever he was saying, the girl was relaxing and nodding. Nile picked out Nicky’s name and then Andy’s and her own and the girl looked around Nicky to stare at them. Headed and confident she was somewhat presentable, Nile straightened up and waved at, what she was assuming was, a princess of Andorra. 

Finally Nicky made a motion that had Andy by his side immediately. “She’s the heir,” Nicky told them, speaking low. “She’s unhurt but scared. I think we’re good to move out.”

With a nod, Andy motioned at Nile while tapping her earpiece and barking orders at Joe and Booker. Nicky was talking to the girl again, pointing to the door and opening his arms wide. Hesitantly, the girl stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Smoothly, Nicky curled an arm around her and stood up, letting her wrap her legs around him and taking her weight with ease. Nike slipped him his gun before they stepped out of the room and Nicky kept it carefully by his side to stay out of the girls sight.

When they paused at a corner, murmured something to the child, who finally cracked a smile which was wide enough to show off the gap in the front teeth. 

By the time they stopped again, awaiting Booker to unlock the back door, the girl was half asleep, curled into Nicky and resting her blonde head on his shoulder, eyes growing heavy as Nicky rocked her gently.

-

3

-

“What do you have Nicky?”

Nicky froze from where he was digging in the fridge, entire body going stiff in hesitation before he straightened and looked back at Andy with a completely innocent expression schooled onto his face. 

Nile had paused too at the stern voice Andy had used and now she lowered her spoon of cereal back into the bowl slowly, gaze flickering between Nicky’s blank expression and Andy’s narrowed eyes. She glanced sideways at Booker who shrugged and slyly pulled Andy’s forgotten coffee away from her to claim as his own.

“Madha?” Nicky said, raising his eyebrows in response to Andy raising hers. “Sono innocente.”

“Malakies.” Andy shot back and folded her arms on the table. “I saw you sneak to the fridge last night-“

“A midnight snack, boss!”

“So don’t play dumb. What’s going on?”

For a long, awkward moment, the two immortals stared each other out. Then Nicky wrinkled his nose. “Yusuf!” He called out. “Habibata! Ont ete trouves.”

The door to the small room Nicky and Joe had claimed opened and Joe stuck his head out. “Love, what is this we you speak of?” He looked at Andy beseechingly. “I swear this was all him.”

Nicky made a squeaking noise of upset. “Tradito! Flung under the carriage by my one and only!” 

“They say bus, not carriage now, Nicky.” Booker pointed out but was drowned out when Joe stepped out the door and Nile let out a squeal of delight.

She ran over to Joe and removed the fluffy black kitten from his arms, holding it as tightly as she dared. It mewled at her, showing tiny white fangs, and she made a pathetic noise back. “Oh my god!”

Andy groaned and rubbed a hand over her face. “What the fuck guys?”

“I couldn’t leave her boss!” Nicky protested. “I found her in a box last night on my walk and it was raining and cold! What could I do?”

“Drop it at a vets? Andy tried. Nile skipped over to the table to show Booker who cooed over the fluff as it tried to swipe at him.

Nicky plucked the kitten from Nile’s arms and cradled it gently. “It’s the weekend, I was planning on taking her somewhere on Monday.”

Andy frowned down at the kitten who was staring up at her with big eyes. When she looked at Nicky, his eyes were bigger and sadder, more begging. Nile saw the pout Nicky wore and decided she wouldn’t be able to say no to that face. 

“At least it’s not a raccoon this time.” Joe offered.

Finally Andy sighed and stroked a finger between the kittens ears. “Don’t get attached.” She warned. “That means no names!”

Grinning brightly, Nicky somehow slipped the kitten into her hands. “She’s called Andrea - she bit Joe on the nose.”

-

4

-

Joe arrived back at their motel with take out, soaking wet from the rain and hissing and spitting like a wild cat. The heavens had opened not long after he had volunteered to go get food since he had been the only one not hurt during their latest mission - a drugs ring that was snowballing dangerously fast. Booker had winced when the rain drummed heavily on the windows of their single room and Nicky had been hovering at the door making distressed noises ever since, anxiously waiting for his husbands return. As soon as Joe arrived at the door, Nicky had swung it open and stolen the bags from Joe, almost throwing them into Andy’s waiting hands. Nile felt bad for Joe, dripping wet and pouting unhappily but Nicky was beside himself with upset at Joe’s discomfort. 

“Ah, my love, you poor thing! Cor meum! Povero tesoro, let me help.” Without warning, Nicky was undressing Joe in the middle of the room; coat, shoes, shirt, all in quick succession while making soft claims of upset when he found each layer wet. Andy and Booker didn’t even blink but Nile rose her eyebrows when Nicky didn’t stop, stripping Joe from his jeans and socks too.

Thankfully Andy covered her eyes just as Nicky removed Joe’s boxers too. “It’s nothing Book and I haven’t seen but you may want to show some mercy to poor Nile.”

Still muttering in various languages, Nicky didn’t answer her. Seconds later, Nile was allowed her sight back and she was glad to see that Joe had been wrapped in the duvet from one of the beds and manhandled into a seat. Nicky had grabbed a towel and slung it over his husbands head, covering half his face, before dropping to his knees to rub Joe’s feet dry with another towel. 

“I almost got decapitated.” Booker pointed out, separating the takeout onto paper plates. 

“You can’t heal from wet.” Joe muttered.

Nicky pulled some woolly warm socks from who knows where and rolled them onto Joe’s feet. “Sakhif.” He added on in response to Booker, who rolled his eyes and bought the first plate to Joe anyway. Standing, Nicky took the towel from Joe’s head and carefully dried his face while Joe held the duvet around him, smiling up at his worrying husband adoringly. Nicky squeezed his hair through the towel to help the curls dry and pressed soft kisses along Joe’s nose as he did. 

Laughing, Joe dug one arm from out his cloak and wrapped it around Nicky’s waist. “It’s only some rain, my own.”

Nicky hummed and Nile got the feeling he had forgotten the rest were there, she couldn’t help but smile at the love written in Nicky’s eyes as he cupped Joe’s face in his hands. 

“Si courageux.” He murmured, grinning as he kissed Joe firmly on the mouth.

-

5

-

“Nile?”

Turning from the TV, Nile gave Nicky a small smile as he silently crossed the room to where she was curled up on the sofa. They were in a nice loft apartment, with large windows which were being gently tapped by rain, a full kitchen and a very nice entertainment unit. 

“Did I wake you?” She asked as Nicky sat down next to her. 

He shook his head. “No, I haven’t gone to sleep yet.” She looked at her watch and raised her eyebrows when it read 0245. He shrugged and smiled. “I never sleep well away from Joe.”

“I think that’s part of what’s keeping me up.” Nile admitted. Andy, Booker and Joe had gone to meet Copley for information about their next target but felt it was still asking for trouble to all be together with the agent. So Nile and Nicky had drawn the short straws to stay behind and wait. Nile bit her lip. “And we’re not far from my mother’s house right now.”

“Ahh.” Nicky made a understanding and sympathetic noise. “That must be hard Nile; I’m sorry.”

She shrugged heavily, turning to keep her eyes in the TV. For a while they sat in silence and then Nile motioned at the film playing. “It was my dads favourite. He never admitted it, of course, but we all knew.”

Nicky tilted his head thoughtfully at the screen, watching as Dumbo jumped from his stage perch and fell, loosing his feather. He and Nile were quiet as Dumbo pulled out the dive and flew. 

“You know,” he said softly, “Andy used to be scared of the pink elephant scene.”

For a second, Nile stared at him. Then she snorted loudly and began to laugh. 

“No, you’re messing with me.”

“La! I would never!” He grinned and then his face softened. “Come here.” 

She let herself be arranged as he saw fit, curled up on the sofa with the blanket still tucked around her, her head on his lap. His arm was a solid, comforting weight on her side and he stroked her forehead gently with his spare hand.

Then he began to hum softly, a lovely familiar tune. He only put words to the song when she found her eyes closing gently, lulled by the safety of his presence. 

“Baby mine, don’t you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes....”

-

+1

-

The door wasn’t so much as kicked open as it was kicked off it’s actual hinges. Nile watched Joe glance over his shoulder in relief as Nicky and Andy went storming through the now useless doorframe, the three men holding guns to his head all lifting their weapons to shoot at her teammates. The suited man that had been kneeling in front of Joe scrambled to the back of the room, trying to stay out of the line of fire. Andy spun around behind Nicky who kept moving forward, Nile had never seen him take shots and still move like that; he barely stuttered in his steps to the men, face pulled into a snarl. The hesitation and panic from the hired gunmen was all Nicky needed, a flick of his wrist and a dagger was embedded into the first man’s eye with far too much aggression. 

Once Andy and Nicky had hit the middle of the room, Nile and Booker swooped in, Booker skidding to a stop behind Joe and swiftly unlocking his handcuffs while Andy and Nile shot both remaining men and let them fall useless to the floor. Nicky kept moving, drawing his sword out as he moved and keeping his furious eyes on the man who was pressing the elevator key desperately.

“You kidnapped my husband,” Nicky spat out, grabbing a handful of the man’s suit front and using it to pull him forwards just to slam him roughly to the wall. “Offended his home, called him names because of his skin, threatened to sell him and organised to let your men use him.” Nile blinked - she hadn’t been aware of that last bit - and Nicky was spitting and swearing in languages she didn’t know, the man getting pale as Nicky used strength Nile didn’t know he had to force the man up the wall slightly and rise up on his toes to stay on the floor. “You dared to lay a hand on him and make him bleed when he is fucking starlight where you are cigarette ash under someone’s foot. ‘Ant qadhra! Kopile!” 

“Mon amour...” Joe murmured, breathing hard. Nile helped him to his feet and he leant on her only a bit as he began to heal. 

Nicky looked back at him and his entire face softened. “I’ll be right there, detka.” When he spoke to the kidnapper again, his voice was completely changed, hard and cold. “If I wasn’t needed elsewhere, I would pull each of your teeth and your nails from you; I would take the time to carve the word ‘trash’ into your skin in every language I know; I would make sure you were alive when I peeled your flesh from your bones.” Booker whistled low and Nicky took a breath and finally lowered the man down. “As such, you are not important enough to waste my time on - and I have a lot of time I could waste.”

Nicky spun on his heel while the man slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. A soft, adoring smile graced Nicky's face and he was once again the loving and caring man Nile knew him to be. “Amore.” He said with a smile and took Joe from Nile’s hands, curling his arm around his husbands waist and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Mi sei Mancato.” 

Nile smiled and didn’t even blink when the man tried to push himself off the wall, only for Andy and Booker to unload several bullets into his chest, sending him back to the wall and sliding down to the floor.

**Author's Note:**

> Cherie - sweetheart  
> ‘amira - Princess  
> Novia - sweetie  
> Flor - flower
> 
> Madha - what  
> Sono innocente - I’m innocent  
> Malakies - bullshit  
> Habibata - my love  
> Ont ete trouves - we’ve been caught  
> Tradito - betrayed
> 
> Cor meum - my heart  
> Povero tesoro - poor baby  
> Sakhif - daft  
> Si courageux - so brave 
> 
> La - no
> 
> ‘Ant qadhra - you filth  
> Kopile - bastard  
> Mon amour - my love  
> Detka - baby  
> Amore - love  
> Mi sei Mancato - I’ve missed you
> 
> Everything other than English was done through google translate so I’m super sorry if there’s any mistakes in that respect!


End file.
